More checks, more companies that are affected – Equipped for Seveso III with Pfannenberg’s Signaling Devices

Functional Safety for industrial plants

Functional Safety for industrial plants: with the SIL/PL-compliant signaling technology, plant operators can guarantee standard alerting in accordance with the Seveso III directive.

Hamburg, 5 October 2015. The EU directive, Seveso III, commits companies that work with substances of a certain risk category and a certain amount to prevent incidents and/or to minimize the effects of incidents. This is, amongst others, achieved by fitting the operating area with appropriate alerting and alarm systems. Important: Many more companies than before are affected by these new rules now that the amended Seveso III Directive has become German law. In addition, the directive stipulates that the authorities have to carry out both systematic check-ups of all hazardous incident plants and also unscheduled inspections. Therefore, plant operators should, without fail, take the new legal situation into consideration when planning new plants – and check their existing plants for conformity to standards.

Functional safety for plant operators with Pfannenberg’s sounders and flashing lights

An important requirement of the Seveso III Directive is to prevent failures and to limit the possible effects of incidents, for example by means of appropriate signalling devices. Pfannenberg’s SIL/PL compliant signaling devices enable a lawful implementation of the EU specifications which, in Germany, are formalized primarily in the revised Hazard Incidence Ordinance (12. BlmSchV). Pfannenberg’s sounders and flashing lights are equipped with the safety-related parameters and can be integrated in the safety concept of machines and plants without problems. The sounders from the DS series or flashing lights from the Quadro and PMF Series are, for example, particularly suitable for the compliant implementation of the revised Seveso III Directive.

More companies are affected, stricter monitoring

It is no longer only the chemical industry which is affected by the tightening of the legal requirements in the Seveso III Directive. Depending on the amount, type and risk category of the substances which are processed, the revised specifications can also apply to companies from the sectors metal processing, logistics or storage facilities for technical gases. Whether, and to which extent, the new regulations apply to a company, can be determined using a classification system of the new European CLP-Regulation, which is attached to the Seveso Directive III as attachment 1. The CLP-Regulation regulates the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures.

Another area affected by the introduction of Seveso III is inspections by the authorities. Article 20 of the Seveso III Directive commits the authorities to introduce an inspection plan with regular on-site check-ups of all hazardous incident plants and makes provisions for unscheduled inspections.

“The deployment of Pfannenberg’s SIL/PL compliant signaling devices in industrial plants and companies reflects the consistent safety mentality of the planners and operating companies. Our products stand for more safety and reliability in the plants”, says Carsten Hippler, Product Sales Manager Signaling at Pfannenberg.